


Devil Woman

by PieWritesFics



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Minor Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Tentative Title, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 13:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6286528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PieWritesFics/pseuds/PieWritesFics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her plan had been fairly simple, if ultimately fatal. Dying of exhaustion from constant devil fruit use wasn't the worst way to go, and Rouge wasn't the type to regret it.</p><p>Being flung 10 years into the future by that devil fruit, minutes after taking what she could have sworn would be her last breath, had not been part of her plan at all. Who knew the damn things had opinions?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Will of a Devil

It was a little-known fact that devil fruits were once conscious beings. They'd been around in their current form for so long that those understanding the significance of it had long since met their end, and those who had found out about it since thought it either a simple myth or an interesting tidbit of little consequence. They'd been like this for _so_ long, in fact, that even most devil fruits themselves (or rather the spirits thereof) had forgotten they'd ever been anything but bad-tasting, magical produce.

 

As such, it was rather difficult for them to form many opinions with the small amount of consciousness they had left-- once they'd begun to forget they'd had it, it was a good deal more trouble to recall how to use it.

 

The spirit of the _Jikan Jikan no Mi_ was no exception to these things. It had a vague sense that it had used to be something more than a damned fruit, and it rather tended to like those with the initial D. in their name 1 but that was about it.

 

At least until it had been eaten by _her_.

_She_ was different from those who had previously eaten Jikan's fruit. Despite having powers over time, most of them didn't tend to last very long, many choosing to use their fruit-given abilities to steal as much treasure as possible before kicking the proverbial bucket. Then there were those who used it to serve some "absolute" cause or other that Jikan could honestly not bring itself to give half of a rat's left buttock about. During those times Jikan tended to deliberately turn off its remaining consciousness, if only to save itself from utter boredom. 2

 

It wasn't as though _she'd_ lasted any longer than the others. Heck, she'd lasted less than some; four years wasn't all that much, in the grand scheme of things. But it was what _she'd_ used the power for that made her stand out.

 

No one before had ever used Jikan's power for twenty months without break, knowing full well they would die at the end of it, only to give their unborn child, who was destined to be hated by the world for his bloodline, a fighting chance. It had made _her_ Interesting.

_She_ was Interesting. She was a D. And what she was using Jikan's powers for was certain to thoroughly piss off the World Government, which for some reason held a strange appeal for the spirit. All of these things combined added up to Jikan giving an entire one-point-two-five rat's asses, tails not included, which was more than the spirit could recall giving for anything in centuries at least.

 

This made Portgas D. Rouge Jikan's favorite human. The spirit wasn't about to lose _her_ so easily.

 

* * *

 

1As many devil fruits did, if only because they tended to be more interesting. There was also something about those stone slabs that were picky over who could read them or not, but that was so long ago now that even Jikan's time powers weren't helping the memory, so that was neither here nor there.

2One of Jikan’s other opinions, which was not so much an opinion as a vague feeling, was that an existence of boredom was only marginally better than no existence at all, if only because it may one day _not_ be boring any more.


	2. Ready, Aim, Overshoot! Enter Baratie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternative chapter title: Devil Fruits Can't Aim Worth Beans

 

The first thing Rouge registered was the feeling of being underwater. Well, more like being underwater had been before she'd eaten the devil fruit Roger had given her in his attempts to "woo the heck out of her," as he'd put it. She felt an instinctive panic for a split second, before she remembered she didn't need to breathe any more.

She didn't need to breathe ever again. She was dead.

 _'Well. Huh,'_ Rouge thought. And that about summed it up. Her plan of action had only extended so far as her death. She hadn't even been entirely convinced there _was_ anything that came _after_ , so there'd been no use speculating much. Now that it had come to that, she was out to sea without a map, so to speak.

 _'I wonder if this is how Rayleigh felt whenever Roger talked him into jumping headlong into something...'_ Speaking of Roger, he would have raised a stink about her just staying put. He'd once told her death would be the next great adventure. The first step to that adventure would be to open her _damn eyes_ (or the out-of-body equivalent thereof) and get her bearings.

It is worth mentioning that what Rouge registered as "sight" in this after-death state was similar to "seeing" in a dream. There was a definite scenery there, she was sure of that, but it was somehow both fuzzy and far away and sharp and close around her all at once. Her other senses were much the same, both enhanced and muted simultaneously. It was disorienting, and if she'd actually had a physical being she was quite sure it would have made her sick.

Despite still feeling as though she were underwater, the scenery she registered didn't match it. Darkness and fog rolled so thick around her it was difficult to say, but somehow she was certain she was on the deck of a ship.

 _'Maybe a_ beached _ship,'_ Rouge corrected herself, noting how steady the deck was beneath her not-really-there feet. Testing it to make sure she wouldn't just fall through the planks, the woman made her way slowly around the deck, keeping what used to be her hands out in front of her to stop from running into anything. 1 There wasn't much there, she found. Several barrels were scattered about in groups, some open and empty, some sealed and heavy in a way that implied they were full up. The empty barrels were almost creepily clean, like they'd never had anything in them to begin with, and none of the sealed ones would so much as budge.

As she explored, Rouge became aware of another presence on the deck. She'd frequently catch sight of a figure just brushing the edge of her vision, disappearing like it had never been there to begin with when the woman would whip around for a better look. Sometimes she'd think it was a small child, others an elderly person or someone around her own age. She never got a good look at the face.

Even with the inconsistency of the silhouette, Rouge got the feeling it was all one person. Who or whatever they were, they didn't seem to mean any harm. It was almost like having an old friend along, just over her shoulder while she looked around.

An old friend who was leading her somewhere, apparently. The woman found herself slowly moving in the direction the presence would appear from, and after a very meandering path and an indeterminate amount of time, finally came to a stop in front of a sturdy-looking cabin door. If it was anything like the barrels, the closed door was likely also firmly locked.

She reached for the handle anyway. Nothing better to do, she reasoned.

The minute her hand came in contact with the wood, the whole ship gave a huge jerk, as though it had been stuck on a reef and wrenched its way free. The presence that had led her to the door wrapped around her like a warm blanket, exuding what Rouge could only describe as smug satisfaction. The deck tipped impossibly sideways at the same time the cabin door flew open, and Rouge found herself falling into it as though she were being pulled.

Only it wasn't a cabin that she had fallen into. It wasn't _anything_ , really. There was light, that same clear-fuzziness from before, and pictures that flew by too fast for her to register, and _she was still falling_.

Suddenly, even though she should have never felt the need for air again, it felt as though the breath had been snatched from her lungs. Darkness crept into her vision. For the second time since handing her baby to the last man anyone would suspect of taking him in, pain and absolute nothingness enveloped her.

* * *

 

 

In its need to keep its Favorite Human from being permanently dead, there was one small detail which Jikan had overlooked. While using its own powers was theoretically a simple task, in practice the fact remained that it had not done so in _centuries_. The lack of practice meant that while the spirit had unfettered access to its powers, it had very little control over which direction they actually went in.

With this in mind it is understandable that, when Jikan's aim landed them only ten years and one Blue Sea over from where they had started, it was quite pleased with itself.

 

* * *

 

 

Rouge groaned. Regaining awareness brought with it the fact that _everything_ ached-- but that couldn't be right. She was sure she'd died...

The memories of the strange ship, the mysterious presence, and the jumble that had happened after opening the cabin door rushed into her mind, and she bolted upright with a start. That was a bad idea. Dizziness hit her at the same time as the light from the room flooded into her eyes, making the pounding in her head worse.

"Oh hey, you're awake!"

Brown eyes squinted against the light and shifted towards the source of the voice. A young, scrawny kid with a mop of blond hair covering one eye beamed at her and hopped over from a chair in the corner of the room.

Rouge opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a weak, scratchy sound. The kid seemed to have expected this, taking a pitcher of water from atop a bureau and pouring her a glass. The woman took it with a grateful nod, draining it in two big gulps. "Thank you."

The boy beamed at her. "No problem! I figured you'd be thirsty when you woke up, Miss." The smile on his face dropped in favor of a more serious expression. "You've been out for a couple of days. I'm gonna go get you some food, and I gotta tell the geezer you're awake. Don't try to get up yet, okay?" She made a noise that sounded vaguely like agreement, and the small smile he'd worn while pouring her water returned. "Great! I'm Sanji, by the way. What's your name, Miss?"

"Rouge." She grimaced. Her voice was still weak, but that made sense from what she had just been told. Sanij commented that her name was pretty, making her own lips twitch up as he poured her more water and instructed her not to drink it so fast this time.

The kid made his way to the door before turning to address her once more. "I'll be back in a couple minutes, but if a scary geezer with a funny moustache comes in here don't worry. He's not so bad once you get to know him."

 

* * *

 

Sanji scurried down the stairs, purposely ignoring Patty and Carne complaining about him not helping to build the new tables. The Baratie had been gaining business as word spread of the floating restaurant in East Blue, and between that and the pirate crews that sometimes got a little too enthusiastic, they were short on usable furniture. Zeff had called for regular business to be closed for five days while they fixed what was salvageable and constructed extras.

That first morning, Sanji had been sent out ahead to get the smaller boat they used for grocery shopping ready to cast off. Patty and Carne would get supplies, and he was supposed to stay with the geezer to take inventory and clear out space.

As soon as he'd rounded the Baratie's deck to where the boat had been tied off, he'd seen her. A pretty woman in a too-large dress had been passed out on the planks, unmoving. The nine year old had rushed over to her, noted she was breathing shallowly and had _screamed bloody murder for Zeff to get out there and help_ because there was no way a kid like him could move her inside on his own.

The old pirate had taken the situation in stride, and had gotten her settled in Sanji's room at the boy's insistence. He'd deemed her malnourished and probably dehydrated, and sent both Sanji and the two newer cooks scrambling about the place for water, a facecloth, and the aloe from the first aid kit for the nasty sunburn turning up on her exposed arms. After making her as comfortable as possible, Zeff had declared her care to be primarily Sanji's responsibility, reasoning that he'd been the one to find her and that she was resting in his quarters besides.

He'd then stamped his peg leg on the floor, ordered Patty and Carne to ready their own damn boat, and told Sanji to inform him when their guest woke up.

The boy did just that as he made his way into the kitchen to grab an apple and a few bread rolls, tossing, "She's awake; her name's Rouge," at Zeff while doing so. That bit of rudeness earned him a good wallop from the Head Chef's hat. Normally he would have cursed the geezer out for it, but he didn't know how long the woman upstairs had gone without food, so he only adjusted his grip on the items and moved double time back the way he'd come.

Sanji wasn't about to allow anyone to go hungry while he could help it, least of all a lady.

 

* * *

 

The opportunity to look around alone was not lost. Rouge took note of everything in the small room; not a hard task, since it was mostly bare. Curtains fluttered in a window facing nothing but sea, a lamp sat on a desk in one corner with books on what seemed to be cooking and navigation lined up neatly. The only photograph in the room was on the bureau next to the water pitcher. Curiosity taking hold for a moment, she pulled it closer to see a slightly younger, even skinnier Sanji standing proudly on the deck of a fish-shaped ship. Beside him, looking equally pleased, was a man who was maybe in his late forties, missing his right leg at the knee and sporting a moustache that would have given Roger heart palpitations.

 _'Must be the 'geezer' he mentioned._ ' She allowed herself a small chuckle, replacing the picture and leaning back against the headboard.

After a minute of failing to will away her headache, she picked up the sound of quick footsteps outside the door. Sanji came in, arms full of light, healthy snacks for her to pick from. He set most of them next to the photo and water pitcher, but handed her a bread roll to start on before bringing over his desk chair.

"I didn't know how long it had been since you ate, so I just grabbed little stuff for now. If you ate something big when your stomach's gotten used to running on only a little food, you could be sick," he explained.

"Thank you, Sanji; this is perfect."

Truth be told, she probably could have eaten something as big as a horse if it had only been the two days she'd been unconscious that she'd gone without. She _was_ a D, after all. The thing was that even before she'd died, she'd become malnourished. The overuse of the _Jikan Jikan_ powers had taxed her body to the limit, and then some. By the time she'd gone into labor, it had already been a few days since she'd had the energy to eat a proper meal. Even discounting the nausea she had currently, it was probably best to start small.

For the next twenty minutes, Rouge nibbled bread rolls and Sanji did his best to engage her in conversation. He went over the basics of her physical condition, happily noting that her sunburn was tanning over already, and then went on to other topics. By the time she was halfway finished with her apple, she'd learned the ship in the picture was the one they were on, that Sanji was on his way to being a proper chef, and that "Patty and Carne are pains in the neck, so if they do anything to bother you, tell me and I'll kick 'em."

Heavier, uneven steps came from the hallway, and the door opened again to reveal the man in the picture. He had a serious face, weathered from life at sea, and a hat that was almost as tall as he was. Sanji introduced him as Head Chef Zeff.

"And how are you doing, now that you're awake?" Zeff's voice was gruff, but not unkind. "Rouge, was it?"

"Yes," she smiled politely. "Thank you, I feel much better already. I'm sorry to have troubled you both."

A dismissive sound left the man while Sanji hurried to assure her she wasn't any trouble at all and shouldn't worry.

"There's one rule at the Baratie," Zeff said. "If someone is hungry, we feed them, no matter who they are. You just happened to need a little more than a hot meal."

 _'You've no idea,_ ' she thought. "Clearly. Thank you, again."

The man nodded, clearly deciding that that topic was now closed. "Out of curiosity, how _did_ you come to be passed out on our deck? There wasn't another boat in sight when Sanji found you."

Rouge's smile dropped, eyes narrowing in consideration. "To be honest, I wish I knew myself. Could you tell me, please, what day is it? And which sea we're in, for that matter?"

"East Blue. As for the date, I'll do you one better." Zeff pulled a newspaper from his back pocket and handed it to her. "This came with today's mail. Thought you might like to get caught up, since you'd been unconscious."

Before she could thank him, yet again, her eyes caught on the date in the top corner of the front page. The blood drained from her face. _'This... there's no way...!'_ Her gaze shifted to the first headline, bold and clear, and the first lines of the article printed beneath:

**REDHAIR PIRATES RETURNED TO GRAND LINE**

**_Red-Haired Shanks and his infamous crew have been spotted on several Grand Line islands over the last weeks, following a year-long stint in East Blue. The reason for their absence is unknown, but speculations..._ **

There was a miniature of a wanted poster printed beside the headline. Roger's former cabin boy was certainly no longer the gangly teenager she'd known. A good part of her couldn't be prouder of him becoming a captain in his own right, but the rest of her... "This date is accurate. Isn't it."

"Yes..."

"Miss Rouge? Are you okay? You're shaking."

Sanji was right, she realized. _'You would be too, kid, if you woke up and discovered you'd been dead for ten years.'_ Instead of saying that, because she wouldn't be able to explain and it wouldn't do to creep out the people whose ship-- and mercies --she'd unexpectedly landed on, she made a snap decision. Taking a deliberate breath to steel her frayed nerves, she looked squarely at Zeff. "You wouldn't happen to have a Den Den Mushi I could borrow, would you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  1 She worried less about actually running into anything, and more about finding out what would happen if she managed to go completely through something and got stuck.
> 
> That's the most I've written in a while! And actually only part of what I'd planned for this chapter, but this felt like a good place to end for now. I've gotta say I'm actually pretty floored by how many hits just the tiny prologue got, and I've gotta say: THANK YOU!! It means a lot that you guys are interested, and thanks for being patient! I hope this didn't fall short of expectations. Next chapter should be up by the weekend! Between now and then, if I misspelled anything, used the wrong conjugation, or forgot to type a word that was in my brain, feel free to message me to let me know so I can fix it! Have a great week, everyone!


	3. Waiting Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took much longer to post than I had intended. Zeff just didn't wanna cooperate. Next chapter will be out within the next week, and I hope you're all enjoying this so far!

Rouge gripped the Den Den Mushi harder than strictly necessary, trying to keep herself from shaking. Her hosts had graciously left her alone to make the call on the snail, though Zeff had given her a look that likely meant they'd be having a talk later. Pushing thoughts of that out of her mind, the woman focused on controlling her breathing and dialed in the sequence of numbers she'd memorized long ago.

_Pura-pura-pura-pura-pura..._

_'Please, please have kept the number... Please pick up...!'_

**_"Yes?"_ **

The low voice at the other end of the receiver sent a wave of memories crashing down on her. "Hello..." She swallowed. "It's been a long time, huh?"

A beat of stunned silence, and then: **_"Rouge? You're alive?"_ **

A small, almost dark laugh escaped as she imagined what the man's face must look like as he processed this. "Apparently. Don't ask me how; I just woke up barely an hour ago. The last thing I remember... Well, I could have sworn I died back then. Knowing you, I'm sure you have an idea of what happened."

**_"Considering none of us heard from you after his death, it wasn't hard to come up with an idea, under the circumstances."_ **

"The truth is..." Rouge paused, wondering if she should try not to sound quite as desperate as she was feeling, before deciding against it. They'd known each other long enough he wouldn't think less of her, so why bother? "Honestly, I know I have no business asking this of you, but I need help."

The lack of response rang in her ears for a moment, before breaking. **_"Where are you?"_ **

She released the breath she'd been holding, relief washing over her. "The floating restaurant Baratie, in East Blue. I was told they found me passed out on deck a few days ago."

**_"I assume this isn't a secure connection?"_ **

"No, it's the restaurant's usual line."

**_"I'll send someone for you, then, and we can discuss further once they've picked you up. I've got someone in mind already; reliable, and fairly discreet. Expect them within the week. Will they let you stay for a while?"_ **

"I'll talk to the owner about working off my time here. There are only four people, I'm sure he won't object to an extra set of hands for a few days." She certainly wasn't about to lounge around while they worked, not when they'd helped her and she was physically able.1 

 **_"We'll work with it,"_ ** He said. **_"Alert me at this number if anything changes."_ **

"Will do."

**_"Rouge..."_ **

"Yes?"

**_"It's good to hear from you again."_ **

A smile pulled at her lips. "Likewise, my friend. And Dragon... Thank you."

**_"Any time."_ **

_Click._

* * *

 

Zeff went over the rest of the spice inventory, carefully recording into three categories: _Resupply_ , _None Needed_ , and _Use First_. Ginger was fine, but they were low on curry and thyme, and if they didn't use up the basil in tonight's meal it would just take up unneeded space...

Years of experience had left the man well-versed in dealing with multiple problems at once. The second problem, naturally, was the woman currently taking up the Eggplant's room. He didn't really expect her to cause trouble-- she wasn't hostile, and even if she had been she could be taken down easily enough in her condition. Nor had she been anything but polite in the short time she'd been awake. Even so...

 _'You don't have that strong a reaction to missing a few days,'_ Zeff thought as he jotted the paprika into category two. _'Something is off.'_ Not that it was any of his business, of course. More to the point, the ex-pirate wanted to be left out of it. Technically he could throw her out, send her with Patty and Carne on the grocery run later and let her make her own way. He wouldn't, though, not unless she did something. The man scoffed. _'Blasted Eggplant must be making me go soft.'_

He had a restaurant and a brat-apprentice to look after, not to mention the two idiots he'd hired who were lucky they could cook as well as they could make repairs. No time to deal with that Rouge woman's troubles on top of it. If, after she was completely healthy, she had made no move to leave on her own, he'd offer his suggestions. Until then, she could stay.

 

He caught the sound of two voices disagreeing in the hallway and rolled his eyes. _'Speak of the devil,'_ he thought. As the pair grew closer he could pick up the subject matter.

"-ouldn't be up yet!"

"-really feel much better-"

 _'Ah, that's what the ruckus is about.'_ The woman had gotten up and about when any normal person would stay put; the Eggplant wanted her to be sensible get more rest so she wouldn't get hurt doing too much too soon. Suddenly, the door to the pantry burst open.

"-telling you, I'm fine, really!"

"Old man! Tell her to go back and rest! You're the Baratie's captain, she has to listen to you!"

"Is _that_ how that works," Zeff asked sardonically, recalling ten different times in the past week alone that the brat had needed a swift kick in the pants before doing as told.

 _"Yes!"_ Sanji insisted. The older chef chose not to comment on his hypocrisy.

"Honestly, I'm fine! I feel ten times better now that I've got food in my stomach. I'm not going to _collapse_ ," she stated. Setting down the celery salt and turning to face them, the man observed that Rouge did, indeed, look much better than she had when they'd left the room. Her color had returned and the shaking had stopped, though she was leaning on the door frame a bit too heavily to be considered casual. She looked to Zeff and motioned to the colorful snail perched on her shoulder. "Thank you for the use of your Den Den Mushi."

He grunted in acknowledgement. "You managed to get hold of someone, I take it?"

"Yes. An old friend is sending an associate to pick me up, but it will be a few days until they arrive."

Good, that saved him the trouble of making those suggestions. "That's to be expected."

The woman nodded. "Of course, I don't want to impose any more than I already have. If you'll allow it, I'll gladly help out until then."

The Eggplant immediately protested, but Zeff had plenty of practice tuning him out. "I'm sure we could find something to put you to work on. You can start tomorrow; we're nearly done for the day, no sense starting you on something you won't have time to finish." He redirected his gaze to the brat. "Sanji! Show the woman around so she knows how things work. Then get your ass back up here and help with dinner preparations."

The brat looked like the wanted to argue, but apparently thought better of it this time. "Ugh, fine! C'mon Miss Rouge, I'll show you the main dining area. Might as well make sure those two bozos haven't messed anything up down there..."

"Sure." Rouge gave Zeff a grateful nod before following the kid back into the hallway with an indulgent smile.

 _'At least they entertain each other,'_ Zeff thought somewhat fondly, turning back to his list for the grocery run the next day. _'Now, where the hell was I...'_

* * *

 

The next three days passed by quickly enough. Rouge worked with Sanji and Zeff to paint the finish onto the newly-constructed furniture, and later helped Patty and Carne organize the refrigerator and put away groceries. Zeff had even loaned her a spare chef's robe they had hanging around, so that she wouldn't have to stay in the too-large dress she'd been passed out in for so long.2

One evening after dinner, she'd found Sanji determinedly practicing kicks on deck. The poor kid had fallen on his butt when he'd seen her watching him, and seemed almost confused when she'd asked to join in.

_"Why d'you wanna do that?" he'd asked._

_"Well, why do_ you _train like this?" Admittedly, she'd been curious._

_"Because I need to get stronger," he'd stated with certainty. "Strong enough to help the geezer protect this place. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him, I won't let him lose anything else while I'm around!"_

_Rouge had been surprised at that, but could tell he'd meant every word. "Then our reasons are the same; there's someone I need to be strong enough to protect, as well."_

_"Really? Who is it?"_

_"My son."_

Since that night, Sanji had always come to get her before heading out for training. They would spend a good hour and a half on deck after dinner, and half an hour in the mornings, though it was mostly practicing the motions. Sanji had politely refused her offer of being a sparring partner, saying that it went against his moral code to ever kick a lady, no matter the circumstances.

Once the _Baratie_ reopened for regular business, things got a little more hectic. A great number of people came through: Marines stationed in the area, small-time pirate crews, and even several civilians who lived on near-by islands. The lunch rush that day had been ridiculous in Rouge's opinion, but given how good Zeff's food was it shouldn't have been a surprise.

She and Sanji had split the dining floor in half, and the two spent a solid three hours running to and fro with orders, meals, and dishes that needed cleaning. They actually made a good team; if an order was too big for Sanji to carry on his own, Rouge would bring it down and send the kid off with one of hers. If one was especially swamped, the other would quickly dash over and wipe down a few tables between orders.

The new furniture was also put to the test when one of the patrons felt he had the right to grab her ass. Sanji had been about to give the jerk a quick lesson in manners (that is, a swift kick to the skull) but learned that Rouge could handle him when she calmly said he had three seconds to get his hands to himself, and promptly shoved his face into the table after two. The wood hadn't gotten a scratch, but the man had scrambled out with a broken nose and hopefully a little more respect for both women and serving staff.3 

In truth, Rouge was having a blast. No other bar or restaurant she'd ever worked at was like the _Baratie_ ; it almost reminded her of a pirate ship. Still, she found herself staring intently at the horizon, hoping the next ship to dock would be her escort from Dragon, come to take her away. Sanji, she knew, was around the age Ace would be now, and spending time with the blond boy made her eager to find out what kind of person her own son was growing up to be. No matter what he turned out to be like, she decided, she would love him more than anything and make sure he knew he had her full support. Even if he wanted to be a damn marine like Garp.

 _'Though if that happens,'_ she mused to herself, _'I'll make it a personal mission to find Roger's hat and eat it.'_

* * *

 

A small Cutter boat traveled swiftly over the East Blue waters, the words _Mermaids' Revenge_ painted in neat black script along one side. The lone figure on board stood at the helm, checking a compass every now and again to be sure she was still on course and smiling at the prospect of her new assignment. If her map was correct, the sea restaurant would be in sight by early the next morning, and then she and her new passenger could make their way to meet with the Boss.

Locking the wheel to keep the rudder from turning, the young lady moved over to her deck chair to get some light reading done, secure in the knowledge that a map pocketed from a Logue Town marine would tend to be _very_ correct indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1Besides, keeping busy would give her something to think about other than her maternal instincts screaming at her to get off her ass and go find Ace!
> 
> 2It was her favorite blue maternity dress, not that any of them had commented on the size to her. She had wondered if they were tactful or unobservant, but eventually concluded that they probably just didn't care enough about it to ask.
> 
> 3Patty had been upset at first, but Zeff had stated that if he had the energy to sexually harass a waitress then he couldn't have been that hungry anyway; since nothing valuable was broken, it was fine. He even put the man's order aside and gave it to Rouge on her lunch break. The woman decided that Zeff was the best boss she'd ever waitressed under, happily told him so, and laughed at his dumbfounded expression while she ate the chicken marsala.


	4. Departure! Rendezvous At Dawn Island

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took much longer than I was hoping it would, but to make up for it it's also much longer than the other chapters so far. I ended up with only one day off from work this week, so I sat my butt down and went at it! Since I've pretty much had certain events worked out in my head for a long time, the next one shouldn't take nearly so much time. Can't speak for it's length though.

Rouge bustled around the dining area, gathering the remaining dishes from that morning's breakfast crowd and periodically bringing them upstairs for Sanji to wash. People would start trickling in for lunch in an hour or so, if the last two days were any indication; the weather was lovely and the seas were calm, making smooth sailing for any customers. It was something of a shame, she thought, to spend such a lovely day being stationary.

The woman absently pushed back a few stray pieces of hair that had come loose from her braid. Glancing out the door for the fourth time that morning1 she noticed a small Cutter boat drawing in closer. From the distance it was at now, Rouge could just make out the seahorse figurehead and started to work a little faster in response. A boat that size couldn't hold many people, but it was always easier to tidy up between customers than it was while serving someone.

Besides, if anyone caused trouble it was better to have as few dishes around to be broken as possible; it just wasn't worth listening to Patty get worked up otherwise.

 

* * *

 

At quarter of eleven in the morning, a young woman of probably about nineteen walked into the Baratie and took a seat at the first small table from the door. Her hair was a wine-red mess of short curls, and a colorful silk kerchief was tied around her neck.

She smiled at the light-haired woman in a chef's robe coming down the spiral staircase. "Hi there! Hate to ask this right off the bat, but your name wouldn't be Rouge, would it?"

The older woman seemed startled for a moment. "Yes. Are you...?"

The redhead jumped up from the table, flitting over and happily offering her hand for a shake. "Read Delahaye. Boss sent for me to pick you up. I would have been here sooner, but Logue Town's a bit of a trip from here. Good to finally meet you!"

Rouge returned both the smile and gesture. "Portgas D. Rouge. Likewise."

 

* * *

 

It was a shame that Delahaye had come right before the lunch rush. Or maybe it wasn't. As she was finishing her Sea King Soup, the redhead noticed how busy it was getting and offered to help. Sanji said she didn't have to, but Rouge told her to ask Zeff; they'd be back to four people before dinner, it would be better to get all the work done they could before then.

Delahaye was put on dish duty, and it was soon discovered that she could wash them with remarkable speed and efficiency; the only downside was that she wasn't always coordinated enough to catch them when they slipped from her fingers. By the time the lunch rush was over, the young woman had accidentally broken five plates, three bowls, and one very unfortunate teacup.2 In the end, she gave the ex-pirate B2,000 to purchase replacements with.

Now, with most of the work done, Rouge had changed back into her newly-washed blue dress (the size of which earned her an odd look from Delahaye, which the older woman ignored) and was getting ready to go.

"You're leaving already?" Sanji asked somewhat dejectedly.

She gave him a gentle smile. "Yes; it's time. There's someone important I have to find."

"Your son?"

"Yes."

The boy considered this for a moment, then nodded. "He's lucky to have a mom like you. What's his name? In case I ever run into him."

"His name is Ace." Sanji noticed that her face lit up just a little more, and she got a far away look in her eyes as if she were remembering something wonderful. The blond felt a pang of jealousy and resolutely squashed it, committing the name to memory. "I haven't seen him in a long time," she continued.

"Ace," he repeated. "I'll remember that."

 

* * *

 

"Wait." Zeff stopped her on her way out the door. The three permanent residents of the _Baratie_ had gathered to see her off, and now the Head Chef and captain held out an envelope to her. "Take this along. Might come in handy."

Accepting it and taking a look inside, Rouge's eyes widened. Beri note after Beri note stared back at her. "What-"

"Your half of the tip money from the last few days. Keep it. You're going to find your brat, aren't you?" he asked, and Rouge realized he must have overheard her conversation with Sanji. "Brats can get expensive. I should know." A pointed look was darted at the young kitchen boy. "Besides, it was your work that earned it. Not like I'm handing out charity here."

"I... Thank you, Captain Zeff!" Her stunned look melted into a huge grin, genuinely happy.

The blond man nodded with a grunt of acknowledgment. "Good. Now, get lost. You're burning daylight."

That made the woman laugh, but apparently Patty and Carne liked her more than they had let on because both immediately started bawling.

"We're gonna miss you, you damn woman!"

"Get the hell outta here! But come back and visit, dammit!"

Poor Sanji was shocked into disturbed silence at the two chefs' carrying on. He'd known they were _emotional_ , but usually their outbursts were because of anger; often at him and his attitude. This was a new one for him.

Still smiling, Rouge moved forward and playfully gave both the crybabies a kiss to the cheek. The boy got a kiss to the forehead and a gentle ruffle of his hair, and even Zeff got a quick, but firm, hug before the turned to go out the door with a cheeky smile.

"See you all!"

Normally the blond boy would have pointed out that the three men were blushing, but he knew better than to cast stones when he was, too. Instead, he called after her as she jumped into the Cutter. "Hey! I'm gonna get better at cooking, so when you find Ace, bring him back here! I'll show both of you how much I improved by then!"

That grin from earlier split her face again as the boat pulled away. "I'll do my best! It's a promise, Sanji!"

The _Mermaid's Revenge_ moved swiftly, and soon caught an east-blowing wind that pulled it further out of sight until it was impossible to make out the two women moving on the deck clearly. At that point, Zeff bellowed at the three to get the hell back to work already, adding that if Sanji wanted to give Rouge something edible by the time she returned then he'd better get his ass practicing. The chef-to-be agreed; he had a promise to keep, after all.

 

* * *

 

When they had a gotten some distance, Delahaye showed her passenger to the small cabin on her ship. Inside was a set of drawers built onto the wall, a full-size bed taking up nearly half of the room, and a door that opened into what had to be one of the smallest bathrooms Rouge had ever seen. All in all, the cabin was the perfect size for someone who liked cozy spaces well enough and tended to spend most of her time on the deck.

The redhead pulled a pair of snoozing den den mushi out of one of the drawers, plopping herself and her snails on the bed and patting the spot next to her encouragingly. "C'mere! Let's call Boss so we know where we're going, yeah?" Rouge did as suggested, eager to talk to Dragon now that she could speak freely.

The white den den was the first to awaken, pouting up at the humans in a way that somehow reminded Rouge of an unhappy cat. It nudged the second, larger snail it was attached to, apparently deciding to get it over with. When both were awake, blinking sleepily up at them, Delahaye motioned for Rouge to do the honors and dial.

_Pura-pura-pura..._

**_"Hello?"_ ** The snails took on a serious expression to accompany the deep voice ringing out of their little mouths.

"Heya, Boss!" Delahaye chirped. "I picked up your friend from the restaurant like you asked, so, mission half-way complete! I just need to know where we're meeting up and we can set a definite course."

"Hello, Dragon," Rouge added.

The den den mushi grinned, now, somehow looking just as serious in spite of it. **_"Glad to hear from you two. I trust everything's gone well the past few days?"_ **

"Yup!"

"No complaints here, no."

**_"Good, good. Now, Rouge... I'm aware of some of your situation, but I'm sure it's not all of it. Tell me what happened."_ **

"Of course." Delahaye shot her a curious look, no doubt out of the loop completely; she would have been just a child at the time of Roger's execution. Maybe she knew something of the hullabaloo that had occurred in the wake of it, but it was doubtful she had any knowledge of the particulars. "I'm sure you've already guessed about my pregnancy."

**_"I have."_ **

"Oh. Guess that explains the dress fit..." Delahaye murmured.

Rouge ignored the comment for now. "I used my devil fruit powers to hide it. As you can guess, twenty months of constant, concentrated use in addition to being pregnant so long took... quite a toll on my body. I knew it would- I just didn't care, not as long as my baby was safe."

**_"And damn the consequences, then?"_ **

A humorless laugh escaped her. "What do you want from me, I'm a D."

**_"Oddly enough, I never forgot that, no matter how sensible you can be. So... You were in bad shape."_ **

"I was. My baby- my son, Ace, he was fine. He was _perfect_ , Dragon, and I'd do it all over again, I'll tell you right now. Damn what the world thought about his father, _and_ damn the consequences!" She paused, seeming to swallow a lump of emotion. "I didn't make it, but he was fine, and he was safe, and I knew he'd be hidden, so I was happy. Then I woke up on this creepy... Would it be too cliché to call it a ghost ship?"

**_"Probably."_ **

"Too bad... Anyway, it was all like a weird dream. There was fog everywhere, too. After looking round a while, I opened a door and it felt like the whole of reality tipped on its side and I fell in. The next thing I know, I'm waking up in a room I've never seen on a ship I've never heard of, and the newspaper date tells me it's been a decade since I died." Another pause, then she added, "Did you know little Shanks has his own crew now? Last time I saw him he was a gangly-ass teenager swabbing the _Jackson's_ decks, and now he's a captain with his own pirate ship!"

**_"I did know that, actually. Now, about your predicament: given that you ate the Jikan Jikan no Mi, have you considered your devil fruit powers may have something to do with your appearing here?"_ **

"Actually," she said, "I'm pretty sure that's exactly how. When I was on that ship, there was... something else there. It lead me to the door, and it felt... familiar, somehow."

**_"I see."_ ** A short silence as the man digested this, Delahaye also putting some pieces together. **_"We'll have to look into that more at a later date; it may prove useful. Where is your son now, Rouge?"_ **

Her features were schooled into the most neutral expression she could manage. "Before I answer that, I want you to know that this was Roger's idea, not mine."

Now the den den mushi looked cautious. **_"Why don't I like the sound of that."_ **

"Because," Rouge said clearly, "he's with your father."

Delahaye's jaw couldn't have dropped any farther if she'd eaten the _Gomu Gomu no Mi_. The silence from the snails sitting on the bed filled up the entire room, before:

**_"That... was either brilliant, or incredibly ill-advised."_ **

"It was _both_ ," Rouge affirmed. "Like I said, it was _Roger's_ idea. At the very least, it was the last place the Marines would think to look, especially after two years."

"Wait," Delahaye finally squeaked. "Wait, wait, wait. You said Roger; as in, _Gold_ Roger? The Pirate King?!"

"Is that what they're calling him now?" Rouge asked. "But yes, Gol D. Roger was- We were lovers. In _every_ sense of the word," she added pointedly.

"Huh," the redhead said. Slowly, she nodded, apparently digesting the idea. "Well, I wasn't expecting that. Cool."

**_"Actually,"_ ** Dragon interjected, **_"if my father has him, I have a fairly good idea of where your son is."_ **

"You do?"

**_"Yes. I'm on my way somewhere right now- Delahaye, how long will it take the two of you to get to Dawn Island from your current coordinates?"_ **

"Umm..." The young woman twisted around, pulling a map from under one of the pillows on the bed. "Looking at this, I'd say... a week and a half if the weather keeps favorable."

**_"In that case, we'll meet up there."_ **

"Setting course for Dawn Island, Boss!" Delahaye confirmed.

**_"May the winds be in your favor."_ **

_Click._

 

* * *

 

For Rouge, the journey was split between helping with ship chores and catching up on important news from the last decade or so. After being told before setting sail that the older woman would be so behind3 Delahaye had kindly made certain that her own collection of Important News Articles was in order. It didn't have everything, of course, but it was a place to start and there were even more back at the Revolutionaries' headquarters that the redhead was sure Dragon would let her have free access to.

At night, they took turns sleeping in the bed and steering the ship, intending to cut down the total time until arrival. Meal responsibilities also alternated, and whoever hadn't cooked was tasked with dish duty. When not under pressure of restaurant-proportions, Delahaye's technique became more careful and less clumsy, and nothing had so far been broken.

Just over halfway through the journey, they stopped off at a quaint little place called Orange Town to resupply. Rouge spent a chunk of her money on new clothes for herself, so she could stop borrowing ship-mate's. To be honest, none of the clothes on the _Revenge_ fit her correctly. She found that, when she'd come back to life, while her body was no longer that of someone who'd literally given birth that week, it was also no where near the toned athletic build she'd had before her pregnancy.

Delahaye herself had the body of someone who spent every extra minute in the water doing laps, despite Rouge never having witnessed her swimming. This meant that while her own dress was much too large, any clothes the younger woman lent her were just tight enough to be uncomfortable; besides, she was stretching out the poor girl's shirts.

After casting off again, Delahaye rearranged her drawers so they only took up half the space, leaving the rest for Rouge to use as her own. They mutually decided it would be easier to just wash everything when they got to Dawn Island, rather than deal with clothes lines on the Cutter boat, and made use of Rouge's now-empty shopping bags as hampers.

Since Rouge had spoken freely about Roger during the call to Dragon, even with Delahaye in the room, the redhead felt it was only fair to reciprocate; that is, to tell something about herself that the World Government would also consider "incriminating." Over the course of their voyage, she explained that her mother had been a mermaid4 who had fallen into the hands of the Tenryuubito and escaped when she'd become pregnant; Delahaye herself was half human, but had grown up on Fishman Island and left to join Dragon's Revolutionaries at fourteen. The thing she hated more than anything was the shame her mother felt for her own skin, the way she hid the brand on her back with thick clothes and long hair; she left, she said, because she wanted to help as many people in similar positions as possible.

By the time the two made landfall at Dawn Island, they'd bonded well and become fairly good friends. Foregoing any of the docks the three towns had to offer, they sailed around until they found a small cove and drove the _Revenge_ up almost onto the sand. Furling the sails and setting down the anchor ensured the boat wouldn't be going anywhere, and finally they stretched the plank out to the beach to disembark.

Before looking for Dragon, Delahaye suggested that they have a look around the island to get a feel for the people there, just in case. Rouge agreed; they both specialized in reconnaissance, so it wouldn't be difficult. Besides, something wasn't quite right on the wind...

 

* * *

 

Rather than try scaling the mountain that took up the middle of the island, the two women skirted around the coast just inside the tree line. Liberal use of haki on Rouge's part kept potentially dangerous animals from being a threat, but the further they walked, the more tense they became. The off smell the wind carried with it grew with each step, until it became obvious what it was: the smell of burning trash, and with it, the unmistakable smell of burning flesh. Ahead of them, they could see thin wisps of smoke rising up; too many spread out for it to have been a small fire, but less smoke than there would be if it were doing more than smoldering at this point. Whatever had caused it, it the worst of the blaze was over.

"I don't like this," Delahaye said softly.

"No," Rouge agreed. "Let's keep moving."

Eventually, the sounds of a large crowd came through the woods. The two slipped through a hole in a high wall, keeping close in the vegetation along the inside. Several yards away, they saw the noise was coming from the cleanest harbor either of them had ever seen. Almost everyone in the area was dressed in high-end clothing, and it wasn't difficult to pick out several nobles among them.

"Tenryuubito," Delahaye murmured, spotting the ostentatious ship coming into the harbor. No doubt that was the cause of all the ruckus.

All of a sudden, the mood in the crowd shifted from awed excitement to anxious disbelief. The women noticed it at the same time: a small fishing boat with a single child at the helm, unfortunately steering right in front of the Tenryuubito's ship.

The second the weapon- was that a _rocket launcher?!_ -was in the portly noble's hands, Delahaye was sprinting into the water, tossing her scarf to Rouge to keep it out of the way. She hit the water almost silently, unnoticed, just before the first shot was fired at the kid's boat.

Flames engulfed the wood, the boy trying desperately to put them out. The Tenryuubito lined up a second shot, this time aiming for the child rather than the boat itself.

_'BASTARD!'_ Rouge thought, quickly throwing a hand out in his direction and activating her devil fruit powers. **"Slow!"** It worked. The projectile's speed decreased enough that anyone watching would think it was their horror drawing out the moment, and the instant before it would have collided her friend reached an arm out of the water and yanked the kid down with her.

The little fishing boat was in burning, floating pieces. The Tenryuubito was laughing like a brat at an amusement park, and a few people on the dock fell to their knees.

Under the water, Delahaye pushed the breath she'd taken before diving into the boy's mouth- she knew he'd probably swallowed some water when she'd pulled him down, but better half-drowned than blown up and dead. She ignored the pain in her arm, pulling oxygen from the water with her gills and swimming as quickly as she could back to where Rouge was.

 Desperately, she hoped Dragon was already on the island somewhere, and that he’d brought Ivankov along with him. It was easy to tell the kid was _not_ in good shape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1She was getting restless dammit.  
> 2She was most upset over the teacup, which had had little penguins painted on it. She managed to talk Zeff into trading the rest of the set for the one she had on her boat, which had colorful dragonflies instead.  
> 3"Because of unusual circumstances," Dragon had said, which could mean a number of things with the state of their world.  
> 4A flame-angelfish mermaid, to be exact. The colors and design of Delahaye's main den den mushi's shell were based on her mother's tail. Further, her maternal grandfather had been a fishman, and the young woman had inherited his gills; she kept them hidden from the general public beneath her silk scarf.


	5. ASL Has A Very Tough Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sabo gets patched up after getting blown up, Luffy gets snot all over Makino, and Ace yells a lot because he's not good with expressing himself yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post this chapter along with the next one, but that would have taken longer. So, two shorter chapters instead!

Rouge used her observation Haki to track the two under the water, moving to help them onto land when they broke the surface. Gently, she took the kid from Delahaye and ducked back through the hole in the wall, the redhead following.

A quick visual check made her curse; the boy's left side was covered in burns, and Delahaye's right arm was no better _. She should have been faster with her devil fruit, she should have— _

There was no time for that.

They moved back toward the  _ Revenge _ now, hurrying toward the only guaranteed first aid they knew of. The boy was shaking, Rouge noticed, his breathing quick and shallow and his pupils dilated.  _ 'Shit, he's probably going into shock.' _

"Easy kid," she said, hoping talking to him would get his head out of the pain he was in, at least a little. "We're gonna take care of you, alright? What's your name?"

"S-Sabo," he rasped. Tears began to leak from his eyes, making both women wince slightly; there was no way the salt water felt good on his fresh burns.

"Sabo," she repeated, with the hope his name would keep his attention, "that's a good name. Do you have any family, Sabo?"

"My b-brothers..."

"Brothers! That's great!" Delahaye chimed in, letting Rouge shift part of her attention in front of her as the beach came into view. "How many brothers have you got, Sabo?"

Giving up on the idea of meticulously searching the island with her observation Haki, the older woman concentrated instead on making her own presence more obvious in the hopes that Dragon would sense the change meant something was wrong, and get his ass over to them. She felt a familiar spike of Haki on the other side of the island, and knew she'd gotten the urgency across at least.

"Two-o..." she heard Sabo answer from her arms. His breathing was no longer quite so ragged, and a quick look down at him as they came out of the woods and onto the sand showed he had calmed down some, his attention appropriately distracted.

"Are you older or younger than them?" Rouge asked, moving onto the boat and towards the first aid cabinet. She carefully handed him back to Delahaye, taking the box of sterile bandages and wipes out and pulling on a pair of rubber gloves. She wasn't a doctor by any means, but being part of the Revolutionary Army meant one needed to have a basic idea of how to keep an injured person stable until they could get to one.

"M-middle..." Sabo said, wincing as she dabbed at his wounds. He didn't notice the sudden burst of wind rocking the ship any; he also didn't notice the new presence on the deck.

"Middle, huh?" Rouge worked quickly, doing what she could to sterilize the burns and then wrapping cool, wet bandages around the ones she could reach. "That could be fun. So, who's the oldest then?"

"Ace," he murmured almost reluctantly. "Ace is the oldest." Delahaye noticed Rouge hesitate in trying the bandages around his head, and gave her a slight kick in the leg.

"Ace," the woman repeated quietly. Sabo didn't comment on her strange behavior, and selfishly she hoped he hadn't noticed. Logically, she knew there could be any number of boys with her son's same name, but she couldn't stop the spike of hope and anxiety in her chest. Finishing the child's bandages, she pulled off the used gloves and tossed them into the near-by trashcan, then moved to wash her hands to start the process over again on her friend.

Dimly, she became aware of the boat beginning to sail. Dragon, it seemed, had decided the lot of them needed to move out of the cove; hopefully in the direction of a good doctor.

The other two, she saw when she exited the tiny bathroom, had taken notice as well. The younger woman must have used her own observation Haki—which she herself had admitted was next to useless at any real range—because she wasn't panicking over the  _ Revenge _ being hijacked. Sabo, though, looked a bit more concerned.

"Where... are we going? And who's steering?"

"A friend is steering," Rouge answered, "as for where, he'd better be taking us towards a competent doctor or he'll be getting an earful when I finish with these bandages."

 

* * *

 

They were, as it happened, heading to a place with a doctor. It took only fifteen minutes for the boat to come to a halt once again, this time at a dock. The unfamiliar boat brought most of the little town out of their houses. Blinking his unbandaged eye in the sun, Sabo noticed a cloaked figure standing out of the way as Rouge carried him onto the boardwalk and hollered for a doctor. He had a feeling the person was familiar, but he was understandably distracted when Luffy's bartender friend called out.

"Sabo! What happened to you?!" The young woman moved forward, the town physician on her heels as the rest of the Fuusha villagers cleared a path.

The doctor got a little closer than he normally would have been comfortable with, but the blond endured it as necessary. A small wave of guilt crashed over him, remembering that he'd broken his promise with his brothers in his attempt to escape that awful place and the awful people who had given birth to him. "Sorry, Makino... I-I did something stupid, and look what happened! Ace and Luffy are gonna be so mad at me...!" Sabo's tears began to pool again, the thought of his two most important people rejecting him for what he'd done compounding the awful feelings he'd had since the man he called "father" had taken him away under threat of their health. Not to mention the hellish day he'd had.

Makino reached over and took one of Sabo's hands carefully, intending to reassure him as the group hustled towards the clinic. "I don't know what happened, Sabo, but whatever it is I'm sure they'll forgive you. Luffy and Ace  _ love _ you; they've been downright depressed since you've been gone."

Somehow, that only made the tears come quicker.  _ 'I'm awful,' _ he thought,  _ 'being happy that they were upset I was gone. What kind of terrible brother am I?' _

"H-hey, Makino?" Sabo asked in a small voice. "Can- can you go get them? Please?" Maybe Ace would call him a crybaby later, but he didn't really care right then. He was in pain, mentally and physically exhausted, and he easily could have died if these strangers hadn't intervened; the only thing in the world he wanted was his brothers, and the ten-year-old wanted them as soon as possible.

"Of course!" she answered. "I'll go right now! Listen to the doctor—I'll bring them right back here as soon as I find them." Before she could run off, the cloaked figure from the boat spoke out.

"I'll go along with you; it'll be faster that way, and the animals won't bother you if you're with me."

_ 'When did he...?' _ Sabo thought in confusion. He hadn't seen the man step off the boat with them, but he was right there.

When Makino jumped, Sabo knew he wasn't the only one who hadn't noticed the man. The woman carrying him spoke up. "Don't worry—he can be a creepy, secretive bastard, but he's reliable. He might omit things, but I've never known him to outright lie. You'll be safe with him."

Somehow, that seemed to convince Makino. "Alright," she agreed. "Let's go."

Instead of heading off though, the man offered a hand to the young bartender. Tentatively, she took it, a look of confusion on her face. As soon as they made contact, a large gust of wind blew through the area in front of the clinic, stirring up all kinds of things and making everyone squeeze their eyes shut against it. When the wind died down, Makino and cloaked man were gone.

_ 'What the hell kind of people did I get saved by?' _ Sabo found himself wondering.

 

* * *

 

Makino was understandably disoriented. One moment she'd been in front of the clinic in Fuusha, the next she and the cloaked man—who was familiar for  _ some _ reason, she just couldn't put her finger on it—were two-thirds up the path to Dadan's Country on Mt. Corvo. Looking at him, there was really only one explanation she could think of.

"You used a devil fruit power just now, didn't you?"

The man's lips quirked up. "I did. Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Something in that smile told her this last statement was wrong; this was a man who lived to keep people on their toes around him.

Still, she ignored it for the time being. He'd gotten her up the mountain much faster than she would have been able to do on foot, just as he'd said. Sabo was waiting for her to bring his brothers to him. Turning, she started up the path she'd walked many times since Garp had delivered Luffy to the bandits.

"Come on. It's this way!"

Soon, Makino could hear the sounds of many people loudly arguing. This wasn't at all unusual for the Dadan family, she knew, but as they drew closer she began to pick up that much of it wasn't so much arguing as it was shouting denials to the heavens. The young woman moved to a run from her brisk walk, now identifying Luffy's horrified wailing and Ace's raw shouts of emotional agony.

"S-SABO GOOOOOT  _ BLOWN UUUUPPPPP!!!" _

"THERE'S NO WAY SABO'S DEAD DOGRA,  **_YOU'RE LYING!!"_ **

That last shout from Ace knocked Makino and several of the bandits to the ground. The young bartender had never felt anything like it, but it was easy to tell the boy was hurting. Pulling herself forward to stand, she called out as clearly as she could over the grief-ridden cacophony:

"ACE! LUFFY! SABO'S AT THE CLINIC IN FUUSHA!!"

All at once, everyone stopped shouting and turned to look at her. Looking at them, it was plain that the bandits had all been crying. Luffy's round face was dripping with tears and snot; Ace's was flushed red beneath his freckles, and a few tear tracks made their way down his cheeks.

After getting everyone's attention, she reiterated: "Sabo's alive! He's hurt pretty badly, but he's alive! He's at the clinic in Fuusha getting treated right now!"

After that, many of the bandits Ace hadn't already knocked down fell to their knees in relief. All of them started crying again. Luffy ran over to Makino, burying his messy face into her shirt and continuing to sob.

_ "S-SABO'S ALIIIIIIIIIVE I'M-M SOOOOOO HAPP-PPYYYYYYYY!!!" _

Smiling, the young woman gently knocked Shanks' hat off the little boy's head, so it dangled from the string around his neck. She ran her fingers soothingly through Luffy's hair as he continued to cry all over her, then directed half of her attention to his volatile older brother.

"Ace, Luffy, Sabo sent me to get you two."

Immediately, the ten-year-old sprang into motion, darting over to grab Makino's wrist and Luffy's shoulder. "What are we waiting for then?! C'mon, Sabo's waiting!" Ace started down the path, tugging the two impatiently behind them.

He didn't keep hold of Makino for long, knowing she could be trusted to catch up to them and knew the way back if she fell behind, but continued to keep a firm grip on Luffy. The younger boy was still crying a bit, but now had a determined look on his face as he tried to pull himself together and concentrate on running with Ace toward their injured sworn brother.

Watching them, Makino couldn't help but smile. No matter what it was that Sabo was worried about, she knew she was right; Ace and Luffy would definitely forgive him.

 

* * *

 

Ace raced down the mountain as quickly as his legs would carry him, occasionally tripping on a pebble or fallen branch and stubbornly catching himself. His little brother's rubbery arm stretched as he pulled him along behind him. For a few long, horrible minutes, he'd thought that maybe Sabo really  _ had _ been dead.

_ No _ , his mind scolded him,  _ that was absurd, they'd made a promise, there's no way their brother would die on them, don't be ridiculous. _

Still, it had been terrifying, and Ace never wanted to feel that way ever again. Even now, as the aching of his muscles told him he was pushing himself even further than he usually did, the feeling refused to go away completely. His stomach felt like he'd swallowed a rock, his throat was tight and his eyes burned from holding back tears. His heavy breathing probably wasn't helping the throat situation, but the boy refused to slow down.

Sabo may have been too stubborn to die, but Makino had said he was hurt and had asked for them. His best friend, his  _ brother _ needed him, and  _ dammit _ Ace swore he would  _ not _ let him down this time.

It was right after that mental declaration that Luffy ended up tripping on  _ something _ —probably his own feet, if Ace was going to be honest—and fell, knocking into Ace and rolling them both down the side of the mountain in a screaming ball of child. By the time they stopped1, they'd cut a good half hour from the trek even at the pace Ace had previously been setting. If he hadn't still been so worried about Sabo, or feeling slightly sick from the method of travel, he would have given the seven-year-old a good punch to the head. As it was, he settled for grabbing back onto his little brother's arm and grumbling as he got his bearings, then resolutely setting back down the path.

"Come on Luffy, this is no time to be laying around! Sabo's waiting for us!"

"Uuuugh right! I'm coming!" The straw-hatted boy wobbled a little, but didn't fall over or trip again, which was really all Ace was asking for as he sped up once more.

Of course, since it was  _ Luffy _ , he couldn't be expected to just  _ not trip again _ the rest of the way down from Mt. Corvo. It happened twice more, and the last time Ace really did almost give him a good wallop for being so clumsy; the only reason he didn't was because Luffy pointed out that they'd stopped right outside of the village proper. This time, Ace didn't bother grabbing onto his little brother again, instead running side-by-side with him to where he remembered the clinic was. Luffy knew Fuusha like the back of his hand, so there was no danger of him getting lost and into trouble, and with Sabo hurt Ace knew there was no way Luffy would just run off.

The two boys busted through the door in roughly a third of the usual time it would take to get there from Dadan's Country. They were panting heavily, filthy, and the tumbles they'd taken had gotten both of them covered in fresh bruises, scrapes, and cuts in addition to the bandages they already sported over their injuries from the Grey Terminal fire. Also, Luffy still had snot on his face. In short, they were an absolute wreck, and they couldn't have cared less. As soon as they spotted Sabo tucked into one of the beds, they threw themselves across the room into his personal space and immediately lost it.

Luffy started sobbing again.  _ "SABOOOOOO I MISSED YOU AND DOGRA SAID YOU GOT BLOWN UP AND THAT YOU DIED BUT YOU'RE ALIVE AND YOU'RE HERE AND YOU'RE OKAY AND DON'T EVER LEAVE US AGAAAAAAIIIINNNNN...!!" _

Though he'd deny it later, Ace had also finally let his tears free. Unlike Luffy, he wasn't really all that good at expressing his emotions, and thus fell back on his usual method of yelling. " _ YOU IDIOT _ , getting yourself blown up! You're supposed to be the  _ smart _ one Sabo, you're  **NOT** allowed to do that! What were you  **THINKING!** You could have  _ DIED DAMMIT _ , and then what?!  _ How the hell am I supposed to take care of this rubber-brained doofus by myself, huh?!" _

Their blond brother started crying too, rattling off apologies and telling them how he was weak and just couldn't take it anymore after the Grey Terminal fire. In response, Ace told him not to be an idiot and that he and Luffy had been wanting to rescue him ever since he'd been taken from them but hadn't been able to come up with a good plan for it—plans, after all, were Sabo's area. Then Ace apologized for being so useless that Sabo had felt that the only chance was to set sail so far ahead of schedule, which the blond disputed and said that he was the one who had been an idiot and should have thought of a way to communicate with them both so that they could've come up with a plan together.

When Luffy climbed up on the bed to snuggle Sabo, the doctor seemed to snap out of his shock, and moved to tell the two raven-haired boys that they needed to clean up and have their injuries looked at before they could have any more physical contact with their brother. For his trouble, the man received a dark glare from Ace and an expression on Luffy's face that would have reminded even the most hardened criminal of a puppy that had just been brutally kicked for no reason. Still, the doctor stood firm.

"Your brother's got some serious burns, lads. Not life threatening now, since first aid was applied immediately, but it's absolutely crucial that they be kept clean. If not, they could become infected, and if that happens your brother could lose a limb—or worse, his life!"

The boys immediately looked horrified, jumping away from Sabo so they didn't get him dirty and letting the doctor lead them over to the clinic shower. They left their clothes in a pile on the floor, which the man took to wash, and set about scrubbing themselves as thoroughly as they could.

Moving to get a better angle to wash the dirt from Luffy's back, Ace caught sight of his little brother's haunted expression and knew the doctor's words had probably made him remember how Shanks had given up his own arm to save the little boy. The older boy pinched his arm, snapping him out of it and in the process starting a shower-fight. They flicked water and soap suds at each other, letting themselves laugh now that they knew Sabo was right in the other room and safe. That went on for several minutes, until the doctor came back and left them each a set of children's clothes he kept around for emergencies. They quickly finished washing, eager to be back with their brother.

These last few weeks hadn't felt right without him, and Ace decided that if the shitty man who called himself Sabo's father ever tried to take him from them again, Ace would put him and anyone he brought along through hell before he let it happen. Sabo was  _ their _ family—his and Luffy's—and Ace wasn't about to let his brother's freedom be taken from him again.

_ 'We won't lose him again,' _ Ace promised himself.  _ 'We won't.' _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1Because they hit a tree in a tangled, dizzy mess of limbs


	6. Meanwhile, Back at the Clinic...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The happenings with Sabo, Rouge, and Delahaye at the clinic while Makino and Dragon grabbed the D boys!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait, everyone! I... haven't really got an excuse, but I do have an explanation: I tried to make this a longer chapter than my brain was willing to accommodate at this time. Combining that with the fact that business is picking up at work because SUMMER, it took a while for me to actually admit, "Okay, this is as long as this chapter's getting, time to post and start on the next one."
> 
> I can tell you that I am not giving up on this story; it's just not happening. I will be seeing this through to the end, no matter how long that may take, to the best of my ability, and I want to thank you all for sticking with me so far! Now, onto the chapter!

When Dragon disappeared with the young woman—Makino, Sabo had called her—Rouge hadn't been very surprised. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate; she _had_ been surprised that he apparently had some idea where he was going. Then again, Dragon was a nosy son of a bitch when he wanted to be. 1 She had no idea how long he'd been in the area before she and Delahaye had gotten to Dawn Island, so he could have had plenty of time to go sniffing around. Not to mention, she'd basically outright asked him to be as nosy a son of a bitch as possible to help her find her son.

_'Ace,'_ she thought longingly, then pushed those thoughts aside for now. Her son was out there, and she would find him, but right now there was another little boy in her arms who was hurt and needed attention. She moved into the Fuusha Clinic behind the doctor, gently rubbing the unburned portion of Sabo's back in what she hoped was a soothing fashion while she explained the medically relevant parts of the situation. 2 The woman knew from experience that the less people knew about the Tenryuubito's involvement, the safer they'd be overall. Sabo seemed anxious, but he didn't contradict or add to anything she said, which Rouge was grateful for.

The doctor worked on the kid first, his injuries being more extensive, mostly re-doing everything Rouge had done, but more thoroughly and with a trained eye to evaluate the damage. After about twenty minutes of questions, answers, and a lot of thoughtful humming, the doctor announced that Sabo would definitely live, so long as his injuries were kept clean to prevent infection until a proper layer of new skin had grown back to protect them.

"Almost all of the burns are second degree, though some areas of your back seem to have suffered some nerve damage; this puts them into the category of third degree," the older man announced to the room at large. "The first aid was done well, which only helped in the long run. While burns are more painful, and unpleasant to look at, they're actually less dangerous than smoke inhalation would be—but that wasn't a factor, you said?" Though he looked at Rouge to confirm, all three of them nodded in response.

"As we said, it happened too quickly," Rouge clarified. She _had_ mentioned that he'd swallowed some water in his "unexpected boating accident," but his breathing had been checked and he'd been found to have coughed up enough of it that it wouldn't cause harm, or something like delayed drowning.

"In this case," the doctor continued, "what we most have to worry about is that eye of yours. All of the burns will need cleaning and re-bandaging at least three times a day for the next several weeks, but whoever helps you will need to pay special attention to the wounds on your face. By some miracle, your vision in your left eye wasn't terribly damaged, but if the burns close to it get infected you could lose the eye completely."

"I understand, sir," Sabo said seriously.

"See that you do. Now, this is a small clinic in an even smaller village, so normally with these sorts of things we'd send you home and do daily visits after keeping you here the first night, but I don't know you so I'm sure you don't live in Fuusha. Taking that into consideration, as well as the extent of your injuries, what I'd like to do is keep you here for a few days to monitor your progress, as well as make sure you know exactly what needs to be done to help those burns along."

The little boy suddenly looked alarmed. "But I— I'm sorry, I can't pay for that, I haven't got any money!"

"Of course you don't," Rouge scoffed, "you're a _kid_. Don't worry about the bill, Sabo; it'll be taken care of."

"But—"

"No 'buts'." She stood from the wooden chair she'd planted herself in, taking the two steps to the bed he'd been tucked into after his examination was complete. Rouge lightly tapped him on the nose with her finger, as though scolding a naughty kitten. "I'll take care of it. Your only job right now is to get better, got it?"

Sabo's visible eye had widened, and Rouge got the distinct impression that he wasn't used to such playful actions from adults. Despite his dumbfounded expression, the child nodded once. The doctor seemed to accept this as good enough, and moved to the other side of the room to tend Delahaye's arm, leaving the two mostly to themselves. "Thank you… Um. I'll pay you back someday."

The woman just smiled. "Whatever makes you feel better, Sabo. But seriously, don't worry about it. I've got some money and I can always make more, it's not a big deal."

Still, the boy shook his head stubbornly. "No, I can't accept charity. It might take a while, but I will definitely repay you!"

This time, she leaned down and poked him in the forehead. "I'm not doing it because I _feel_ bad, I'm doing it because you seem like a good kid and I want to. So it's not really charity." Sabo opened his mouth to dispute that, but Rouge continued before he had the chance. " _But_ , if you really feel you need to pay me back, I won't argue the point. Just know I'm not going to stress over it, so neither should you."

When the boy sighed resignedly, she considered the conversation closed. Sitting her butt back into the chair in the corner, she absently eavesdropped on her friend and the doctor, estimating the probable costs for boy's treatment and stay at the clinic. In the end, she decided she should have enough to cover it but not much would be left over. That was fine, though. Rouge had a fair range of skills from various undercover jobs Dragon had sent her on years ago; she was sure someone in Fuusha would have some work she could do to earn more money for supplies and such. A week or two wasn't going to kill her, and sticking around for a bit would let her make sure the kid got taken care of.

 

* * *

 

Sabo was feeling a bit up the creek without a paddle, so to speak. Oh, he hurt, though the pain medicine the doctor had given him after asking if he knew of any allergies—he didn't—was starting to help that. He was also sure he'd be having nightmares about today, as well as the Grey Terminal fire, for a very long time. Those things he could deal with. What he was having trouble grasping was the women who had saved him—the lady who had patched him up on their ship in particular.

She had no attachment to him, no responsibility for him. As far as she was concerned, he was just some random kid who'd ended up in a bad situation in front of her. Treating his wounds, getting him to a doctor… It was all she really needed to do. He would have been grateful even if they'd ended up skipping the doctor entirely; he'd gone five years without one and been fine! Heck, Sabo wouldn't be surprised if Ace had never been to a certified physician in his _life_ , and his brother fought wild animals daily.

This woman _really_ had no reason to pay his medical bills. In his experience, most other adults wouldn't; they'd pat themselves on the back for a good deed done, then walk right away and forget him the minute they dropped him at the doctor's. For that matter, Dadan probably _wouldn't_ have taken him to the doctor—she didn't like having to take care of Sabo and his brothers, never mind that they mostly took care of themselves, and it was an expense the bandits couldn't necessarily afford. His birth parents certainly wouldn't have lifted a finger to help him, not when he'd been injured by a Tenryuubito. The only adult he could think of who would have gone this far for him was Makino, and the bartender wasn't exactly a stranger.

The thought of the woman who'd gone up the mountain at his request made Sabo glace over at the door, then to the clock. Only about forty-five minutes had passed since she'd set out with the strange cloaked man, which meant it wasn't likely they'd be back any time soon. The ten-year-old sighed, leaning carefully back against the pillows. The painkillers were starting to make him drowsy, but he didn't want to be asleep when Ace and Luffy got there, so he made himself continue his earlier line of thought.

The more he thought about her words and actions, the less he could come up with any ulterior motives for her and her friends' help. The only thing that made sense was what she'd said—that they _wanted_ to. And that…was weird. It was a reason Luffy or Ace would give, not one he'd ever heard an adult use so simply before. It gave Sabo a funny feeling in his stomach. _'Or maybe that's a side effect of the medicine…?'_

Discreetly, Sabo turned his head so he could look at the woman sitting in the chair next to him. She was a pretty lady, he noted, with warm brown eyes that held concern for his well-being. That was still knocking his brain off-kilter, but he pushed past it. If he had to guess he'd put her age somewhere around thirty, but he couldn't be any more precise than that. People aged at different rates and he didn't spend much time around adults as a rule, so he didn't have many references.

Actually, the more he looked (okay, _stared_ ) at her, the more confused he got. He _knew_ he'd never seen her before today. He was sure he'd never seen anyone with hair like hers either, all long and wavy pale strawberry-blonde falling down her back. Even her freckles, the only one he'd ever seen with freckles like hers was—

_'Ace,'_ he thought, and something clicked in his head. This woman's freckles were _just like Ace's_. Her hair was long, and it was the wrong color, but if she cut it to her ears and dyed it black it would be Ace's hair. Even their facial structure was incredibly similar, right down to the shape of her eyes.

If it weren't for the pain medication, Sabo had no doubts that he would have had a very dramatic reaction to his mental game of connect-the-dots. Instead, he probably looked like he'd accidentally bitten a lemon.

Just then, twenty-three minutes after the last time he looked at the clock, and before he could gather his remaining mental power for the day, the door to the clinic burst open to reveal his two very distraught brothers and everything else took a backseat. As soon as the two dark-haired boys were near his bed, they _both_ started crying—apparently Dogra had seen his boat get blown up, and everyone up at Dadan's Country had thought he really _had_ died.

Through tears, Luffy demanded that Sabo never leave them again and Ace scolded him for being an idiot and almost dying. Neither of them said anything about him breaking their promise, and Sabo soon joined them in their waterworks.

"I-I'm so sorry you guys! I'm sorry I broke our promise, I'm sorry I was so _stupid_ and—I just couldn't take it anymore! They're SO AWFUL there, they set the fire on **purpose!** I—I tried to get to you that night, I did, but the guards wouldn't _listen_ and didn't **care** and— _I'm so weak_ , I just couldn't take being there anymore with those people!"

"Don't be sorry!" Ace snapped. " _Idiot!_ Luffy and me have been wanting to bust you out of there ever since that shitty guy took you away! **I'm** the one who's sorry! We couldn't come up with a good plan— _I'm sorry I'm so damn useless_ , you shouldn't have felt you needed to do it on your own!"

"Don't be stupid!" Sabo scolded, at the same time Luffy huffed, "Ace isn't useless!" through his messy crying. "I should have told you both sooner, should have—should have expected they'd find me. We could have come up with a plan but I was…I was scared you'd hate me, if you knew I came from them. I'm so _sorry_ , Ace, Luffy!"

Seeing how upset he was, Ace took a step closer and Luffy started to climb up on the bed with him, likely to give one of his special rubber-constrictor-arms hugs. The doctor who had been across the room with the redheaded woman came back over, telling Sabo's brothers that they needed to clean themselves up before they could touch him because of his injuries. They obviously hadn't liked it at first, but it was clear they were more worried about his health than anything else and let themselves be herded into the shower room without complaining much.

When the water turned on in the other room, Sabo remembered where his mind had been earlier. Looking back at the woman next to him, who his brothers had apparently been too focused on him to notice, he saw her looking towards where they had gone, her expression dazed. Something else too…

_'She looks…almost scared?'_ Sabo thought. _'Why?'_

Taking a chance on his earlier hunch, the injured boy kept his eyes on the woman's face. He remembered once, a long time ago, Ace had told him about the mother he'd never met. He said her name had been… "…Rouge?" Sabo ventured.

Wide brown eyes jerked to meet his own dark blue automatically, and that was all the confirmation Sabo needed.

 

* * *

 

As soon as she'd seen the scruffy pair of little boys rush into the clinic, her brain seemed to have stopped functioning. Though neither of them looked anything like the blond boy in the bed, aside from the bandages that covered their own bodies, it was clear these were Sabo's brothers. Both of them were dirty and generally looked like they'd rolled down the mountain, but they ignored their own injuries and everyone else in the room in favor of fussing over the blond boy, dissolving into relieved tears almost immediately.

Though Rouge knew the reunion was a private matter, and she resolved not to interrupt, her eyes never left the children in front of her. There wasn't any coherent thought in her head, but the old habit she'd gained working for and with Dragon kicked in to analyze the situation. Their conversation made little sense, but the overall picture she was getting was pissing her off: The three boys obviously cared deeply about each other, but someone had taken Sabo away from the other two and back to the people he had "come from." They had missed each other, but been unable to keep in contact because of this, and somewhere along the way the people Sabo had been taken by had knowingly started a fire that presumably put his brothers in danger, and Sabo couldn't stand to be around them anymore and left on his own, which concluded in his "boating accident."

The woman made a mental note to squeeze every bit of information she could about the goings-on of this island from Dragon. Whoever was to blame in all this, she resolved to make their lives as miserable as possible; the only question was if she would start with the damn Tenryuubito who had shot at Sabo, or end with him.

She would have done it anyway, really. She liked Sabo, the kid didn't deserve the crappy time of it he'd had, and if she were honest with herself—which she was—Rouge had a habit of forming potentially violent grudges against people who were unnecessary assholes to children. However, it was the blond boy's brothers who solidified her decision.

_"Ace is the oldest,"_ Sabo had said. At the time, she'd forced herself not to think too deeply about that, not to put too much stock in the name and get her hopes up. Now, looking at him there, any doubts she'd had about his possible identity vanished. Even if she hadn't been able to feel the similarities in his Haki to that of the baby she'd carried in her body for over a year and a half, she would have known that Sabo's Ace was the boy her son had grown into.

Aside from his dark hair and grey eyes, he didn't look much like Roger. His skin tone, his mess of freckles, even his facial features were all things she herself saw every time she looked in a mirror. Her baby was right in front of her and suddenly she didn't know what to _do_ about it.

Rouge's first inclination was to wrap her arms around him and not let go for several hours at least, but she knew better. Even if he weren't in the middle of a heart-breaking moment with the two he'd apparently claimed as brothers—Rouge was so, _so_ happy he wasn't alone—she couldn't do it. Ace, she knew, was almost eleven; many children his age disliked being spontaneously hugged by their parents even if they'd grown up with them all their lives, and her son didn't know her at all. Curbing the impulse, the woman crossed her arms firmly over her chest just to be sure she didn't slip up. She absolutely _refused_ to start her relationship with her son by blatantly disrespecting his personal space.

Turning her attention to the smallest of the boys, a jolt of surprise went through her at the sight of a familiar straw hat. Well-loved but still in good condition, it hung from a cord around the little boy's neck, resting lightly against his back. If he were to wear it, she knew it would be far too large yet to fit his head.

_'Shanks' hat,'_ she thought. _'It's definitely the same one, I remember mending that tear in the ribbon. The paper Zeff had_ did _say he was in East Blue recently… Kid must have made an impression, I never knew him to let it out of his sight.'_

When he squarely denied Ace's negative feelings towards himself, even though he was still crying, he made a bit of one on her too. _'You tell 'im, kid!'_ From what she could see of them so far, Rouge knew she liked these three. Their apparent loyalty to one another gave her a warm feeling, and—dare she say it—she was proud. Her son had found some wonderful people to claim as family.

When the doctor came over to have Ace and Luffy, they'd called the younger boy, wash up to make sure Sabo's burns were kept clean and their own injuries could be taken care of, Rouge felt the anxieties she'd been trying to suppress since coming back to life flood her. Her son was right there, and he was happy and safe and he'd grown so much. He had his own life, experienced things she had no idea about. How the hell was he going to react to this, to _her?_ He'd never known her, she was a stranger, and it wasn't like Garp could have told him much about her to begin with; she hadn't exactly spilled her life story to the Vice Admiral in the few weeks they'd known each other. The man knew her relevant medical history, her basic stubbornness and refusal to put up with bullshit, and that she had no issues hurting him when he'd tried to take some of her watermelon without permission, and that was about it. He'd never asked how she'd met Roger, never asked after any family she might be keeping away from… Mostly they'd talked about the baby.

_'I can't just…_ drop in _and expect everything to be totally fine,'_ Rouge fretted. _'What the hell did Garp even tell him about me, anyway? Did he tell him anything?! Hell, what if I tell Ace and he doesn't believe me? I was dead, for crying out loud, most people don't just come back from that, especially after ten years!'_ Unconsciously, her arms moved from their tightly crossed position, nails now biting into her biceps as she hugged herself. _'I've missed so much of his life, what if he doesn't want me in it at all? What if he_ hates _me?'_

Just as she was starting to berate herself for not picking up a book on parenting when they'd stopped in Orange Town, Sabo's hesitant voice calling her name snapped her out of it. Almost instantly, as her eyes moved to meet his, she realized she'd never mentioned her name around him, and she was positive Delahaye hadn't either.

"How…?" she whispered.

"Ace," Sabo responded just as quietly. Carefully, and keeping his eyes locked onto her face, he continued, "You're Ace's _mom,_ right?"

"Yes."

"Garp said you died."

"I…" she sighed. "It's a long story, Sabo. If you don't mind, I'd like to tell it just the once; can it wait until…until Ace and Luffy come back from cleaning up?"

The boy seemed to consider it, then nodded. At some point in their exchange, Delahaye had taken the doctor aside to another room and begun asking questions Rouge had a feeling the younger woman already knew the answers to, just to give them some privacy. After a somewhat awkward moment with no sound other than the muffled conversation and his brothers' laughter as they goofed off in the shower, Sabo suddenly broke it with, "Do you love Ace?"

Looking the little boy in the eye and without hesitation, Rouge replied, "More than anything." He examined her carefully, seeming to scrutinize every facet of her expression for several heartbeats. The he grinned, revealing a tooth that was just coming in.

"I believe you," he declared. "That said, my own instincts aren't quite as good as Luffy's, so if you're lying you should know that we won't forgive you." The fact that his expression never dimmed even a bit might almost be considered unsettling.

"I wouldn't want you to."

"Good." The blond began to reach up with one hand, fingers twitching slightly against air before he folded both hands primly in his lap. Dimly, Rouge recalled that he'd been wearing a top hat before the force of the explosions had knocked it off; it was probably still in the water with the rest of the wreckage. "Then we have an understanding. As such, please allow me to do the talking at first when my brothers have finished cleaning up. The events of the last several days would be a lot for anyone to go through and process, and Ace has a bit of a short fuse in the best of times."

_'Phrased so politely,'_ she thought, _'yet it's clear it isn't really a suggestion at all.'_

Recognizing this game as one she herself has played on a number of occasions, the woman leaned back casually in her chair, forcing her muscles to relax with her posture. In another situation, her expression would be challenging or smug. Instead, a grateful smile tugged at her lips and her brown eyes danced with warm amusement. "You'd do it no matter what I said, wouldn't you?"

"No," he said simply. "If you had gotten all high-and-mighty-adult-knows-best, I would have let you dig your own hole and known you wouldn't be around long enough to worry about. Not that I wouldn't have still paid you back eventually, you understand."

She had to laugh at that. This kid would be downright _dangerous_ when he grew up. Leaning forward, she extended her right hand for him to shake. "Alright, Sabo, you've got yourself a deal. Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1Especially when he was bored. She couldn't count the number of times when they were younger that he'd come back with some juicy bit of intelligence or blackmail, and just said "I was bored," when she'd asked how he'd found it.  
> 2She was especially proud of herself for not using the phrase "fucking Tenryuubito" even once in that explanation.

**Author's Note:**

> And, end prologue! I've already got the next chapter planned out, and it should be up sometime this weekend, possibly later tonight. I've honestly had this idea kicking around in my head for a couple of months in one form or another, and only smoothed out the main plot wrinkle when I remembered a short dialogue exchange between two of CP9. 
> 
> In addition to being the time I've posted on AO3, this is also the first fic I've written in quite a while, so please excuse me while I get into the swing of things.


End file.
